If you live outside Spain and want to vote in Spanish elections, the system through which you are registered is called CERA: the Register of Spaniards Living Abroad. Here’s how it works:
To be included in the CERA, you must have registered with the Consular Registration Register at the Spanish consulate in your area of residence in Switzerland (Bern, Geneva, Zurich or Basel). If you have done so, you are probably already on the CERA. If you have never visited the consulate, you may not be registered on any electoral roll and, in practice, you will not be able to vote in either Spain or Switzerland.
Now, the problem. Since 2011, overseas voting has operated on a ‘request-based’ system: you have to specifically ask for the voting materials to be sent to you every time there is an election. It is not automatic. If you do not request it within the deadline, you cannot vote. This system was heavily criticised because it drastically reduced turnout from abroad, and since then there has been constant pressure to reform it, although for the time being it remains in place.
The specific steps to follow if you wish to vote in the upcoming Spanish elections: 1. Check that you are registered with the CERA (you can do this via the INE or at your consulate). 2. Apply for a postal vote within the deadline set for that election. 3. Receive the documents at your Swiss address and return the completed envelope before the deadline.
The deadlines are tight and vary from one call for applications to the next. The key is not to wait until the election campaign begins to find out more.
For further information, please contact your local consulate or the INE Electoral Register: https://www.ine.es/dyngs/INEbase/es/operacion.htm?c=Estadistica_C&cid;=1254736177012&menu;=ultiDatos&idp;=1254735572981